Statement on Libya by the Governments of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States

Washington, DC - The governments of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States strongly condemn all acts of violence within Libya, including the February 3 attack carried out by forces operating under the Alshuruq Operation in the Oil Crescent area. These attacks undermine the efforts of Libyans who are working to bring peace and stability to the country through the UN-led negotiations. We share the UN’s assessment that these attacks constituted a major break in the public pledges made by the main commanders to refrain from actions that could harm the political process. There can be no military solution to Libya’s problems.

We call on all Libyan parties to participate constructively in the UN-led dialogue in order to reach rapidly a sustainable ceasefire and a national unity government. We are encouraged by the progress made in that direction so far and call on all concerned parties to strengthen their effort for this process, which is crucial to Libya’s future.

The only people who ultimately benefit from continued fighting over Libya’s oil terminals and cities are terrorists. We are concerned by the growing presence of terrorist organizations in Libya, and by the attacks on the Corinthia last week and on the Mabrook oil field earlier this week.

We remain deeply concerned about the economic impact of the political and security crisis on Libya’s future prosperity. In light of low oil production and prices, Libya faces a budget deficit that has the potential to consume all of its financial assets if the situation does not stabilize. These challenges can only be addressed through political dialogue that can facilitate ways to address this crisis and protect those independent government institutions whose role is to safeguard Libya’s resources for the good of all Libyans.